Study Game
by pseudocitrus
Summary: Nanami wants attention, but Tomoe wants her to study. Maybe they can accomplish both together...


notes:

+ _hitogami _means "human god." used it just because it sounds better than "Human God-sama."

+ this fic is the clean version that complies with FFN's guidelines. for the original version, google _pseudocitrus archive of our own _and see the story called _"_Study Game_."_

+ let me know if you like or it find errors, & enjoy! (◡‿◡✿)

* * *

**Study Game**

It had been a while since Tomoe had given her any attention and whenever she made some remark about it the answer was always the same: a sharp, unamused glance, and a flat voice, saying...something.

"What?" Nanami said in exasperation. "What does THAT mean?"

"It means, 'Go study,'" Tomoe translated, not looking back from where he was preparing tea in the kitchen. "Especially English. At this rate you're going to fail."

"I know how to say 'Go study' in English," Nanami snapped, "your accent is just terrible."

His ears flattened, but he did not turn around. He was measuring out flour and water and sugar. His long hair fell into his face and he brushed it aside impatiently.

"Go s-tu-dy," Tomoe repeated, pronouncing carefully, and Nanami looked up at him, trying to find his gaze. He seemed to be very focused on mixing some kind of batter.

"It's hard for me to focus," Nanami admitted.

"Then try harder."

"I've tried! I think it'd be best if I took a little break," she said, and — swallowing slightly — she leaned against him, pressing her breasts against his arm. Again he did not respond, except to once again bat away at the hair that fell against his eyes. She sighed.

"Come on, Tomoe. I'm fine for the exams coming up. And you've been busy all day too, right?" She didn't actually know what he had been up to, only that he'd been scarce all day. She could only assume he'd been cleaning some area of the shrine out of sight, to stop from — distracting her.

"You could use a break too," she urged.

"I could," he agreed, "which is why I plan to rest shortly."

"You — you do?" Nanami brightened.

"Yes. I've invited Hatsune-san to come and visit." He palmed foxfire onto a stove burner and placed a thin pan on it.

"Hatsune-san? Is that…" Nanami searched her brain. "That's one of the tanuki women, right? Why are you seeing her?" Nanami asked, and Tomoe made a frustrated noise as he once again swatted his hair out from his face.

"My hair is getting too long and distracting. I need her to cut it."

Nanami tilted her head, evaluating. His hair was getting quite long. But…

"I could cut it for you," she offered. "It would probably take less time. And then maybe we could use all that extra time to take a break," she said pointedly.

"No."

"Why not!"

"First of all, you don't have experience."

"That's not true! Just the other day I helped Mizuki trim his bangs —"

"Secondly," Tomoe continued, pressing a square of butter into the pan and spooning it into a bubbling puddle, "I'm not the kind of familiar that would stoop so low as to ask their god to cut my hair."

"You know I don't mind if —"

"Thirdly," Tomoe said finally, spooning batter into the pan shaking it into a neat circle, "You, Nanami, are busy studying."

He turned around to glare at her and she glared back. It had been a couple days or so since they had had time alone. They had settled quite easily into the rhythm of school together — attending classes, doing homework, and even, per school rules, attending mandatory meetings at the career office to plan out their future after graduation. Furthermore, they had studied a lot together this quarter, and honestly their — uh, study sessions — had been doing her quite a lot of good. She wasn't particularly worried about the exams coming up, but for some reason Tomoe was being unreasonably strict about it.

What was the matter? Her eyes narrowed at him, and finally he smiled at her. Her heart fluttered as he leaned down.

"I will have my way with you," he murmured in English, "after exams are over." He straightened, and then frowned when he saw Nanami looking not flushed, but grimacing.

"You're...you're totally incomprehensible," she realized with embarrassment, feeling like she was somehow to blame for this. "What were you trying to say?"

Tomoe's face reddened. "I said, 'Leave me alone and go study!'"

:::

Nanami retreated to the main room, where her books and papers were waiting on the kotatsu, untouched since when she left them. She sat down with a sigh and pulled the blanket over her crossed knees, setting her eyes on an old English assignment. She had gotten a perfect score on it. Furthermore, no one had made an issue of the long pen mark across the bottom that she had made accidentally when she had been studying with Tomoe in the library, and he had abruptly pulled her into the back book stacks and —

Her mouth thinned and she set the assignment aside, face-down. The next paper, on English clauses, was marked as a B+, and was somewhat crumpled from how she had gripped it when Tomoe —

She pushed this assignment away as well and looked down at the third paper — again English, with full marks. This one had, in the bottom right corner, a little bite taken out of it.

Nanami sighed and fell back onto the floor, pulling a pillow over her face to cover up her blush and her groan. She couldn't concentrate. She was doing just fine with her schoolwork! Why was Tomoe being so frustrating? Up until recently he had been so — enthusiastic — almost too enthusiastic, really, though it seemed like a waste to complain about it now. He was always so rough and energetic and though she sometimes wished he'd be more gentle, the total cold that he was treating her with now wasn't what she had had in mind. If only he would just…

"Hitogami-sama," came a chiming voice, and Nanami sat straight up in shock.

"Ah — ah — h-hello — Hatsune-san?!"

"Yes! Oh, I'm sorry, Hitogami-sama — did we wake you? We just wanted to give you our greetings," and as Nanami's eyes adjusted to the light she saw a handful of tanuki women standing at the entrance to the room, sleeves held over their mouths apologetically. Their elaborate clothing and hair ornaments stood out in their plain shrine like jewels.

"Oh, no, you didn't wake me!" Nanami laughed, patting down her hair and tugging on her clothes. "Ah — um — welcome! It's…it's been a long time!"

"A long time indeed," Tomoe agreed, sweeping into the room with a smile, and the tanuki women immediately straightened, hair ornaments clinking.

"Tomoe-sama!"

"Tomoe-sama!"

"Long time no see, Tomoe-sama!"

Tomoe smiled graciously. He held out a saucer of crepes dripping with strawberries and whipped cream, and as the tanuki women cooed he said, "I'm sorry it's so small an amount, but I thought only one of you was to visit…"

He looked to Hatsune, who gave a light laugh. "Oh, Tomoe-sama, when everyone heard you needed your hair trimmed, they couldn't bear to allow me go alone."

"You haven't been visiting at all, Tomoe-sama!"

"We miss you!"

"So since we haven't seen you for a while, we all decided to come!"

Tomoe blinked, and then, somehow, his smiled grew even wider. "What a pleasant surprise."

:::

So he said — but there was something off, something Nanami couldn't put her finger on. He didn't make a move to make the room easier for all the tanuki women to be in, and Nanami herself called Onikiri and Kotetsu to bring out cushions for the women to sit on.

Nanami watched the women arrange themselves around Tomoe, settling in comfortably around him, dipping their fingers into a bowl of water and combing through his hair. She sighed. Maybe she was just jealous. Tomoe hadn't given her as much attention in the past few days as he was giving these women now. Along with scissors, they had also brought sake and candy and games, and Nanami watched in amazement as the room filled up with their trinkets and chatter. They reached over each other, pouring drinks, feeding each other small forkfuls of crepes.

"Tomoe-sama, you're such a wonderful cook!"

"This is delicious!"

"Tomoe-sama, won't you cook more and come visit us sometime to share some with Sister Mizutama? She's so tired nowadays, I'm sure seeing you would liven her up!"

"Tomoe-sama, won't you please straighten your back?" Hatsune asked, and Tomoe sat up obediently. As he did Nanami noticed his shoulder rest against Hatsune's breast.

Hatsune noticed too — the way his eyes gazed out the window, the way his long nails rapped impatiently on the kotatsu blanket. She bit her lip. One of the tanuki women asked Tomoe to draw from a deck of cards, and Hatsune saw his bangs billow as he sighed.

"Really," Tomoe said, "I'm only interested in having a haircut."

Hatsune bit her lip and drew on a pouting face. "Really, Tomoe-sama? Is there nothing you'd like to play?" she asked. "I've even brought your favorite game, you know!"

Favorite game? Nanami leaned forward as Hatsune reached into her long sleeves and —

"NO."

Hatsune gasped as Tomoe lunged, grabbing Hatsune's wrist. The women's chatter silenced. Hatsune stared at him in shock, and Tomoe coughed and then straightened, smoothing down his asymmetrical bangs.

"Th-that is — unfortunately — I am quite busy today and don't have much time for that." And when the women still looked shaken and exchanged uneasy glances, he added, "I'd much rather catch up with you all in person in the short time that we have together."

"Oh," some sighed in relief, but as the women settled back in around him, Hatsune put her finger to her lips thoughtfully. There was something strange going on here. Something…

"What's the game?" Nanami asked, interrupting Hatsune's thoughts, and Hatsune looked at her, eyebrows and ears raised.

"Hitogami-sama! Do you not—"

"Nanami! Get—" Tomoe started, and when the conversation lulled again with his raised voice, he cleared his throat and started again.

"Nanami-sama, my most precious god — don't you have some studying to do?"

"I guess," she muttered, and gathered her books. It was clear that Tomoe didn't want her there. "Please excuse me, everyone! I'm sorry, but I've got exams soon and really need to study."

"Exams?"

"Studying?"

"My, the life of a human god is so busy! How hard-working you are, Hitogami-sama!"

"Do your best, Hitogami-sama!"

"It's nice seeing you!"

"Don't forget that you have exams too, Tomoe," Nanami said brightly, and Tomoe's ears flattened. Hatsune winced as she accidentally clipped off a few hairs from the tip of one.

"Tomoe-sama, please be still!"

"I'm terribly sorry," he said, smiling more broadly than usual, "but Nanami-sama is right. I wonder if you might be able to hurry up? You see, unfortunately, I need to study as well…"

"Oh, Tomoe-sama, you're horrible!"

"We haven't seen you in so long and yet we have to leave so soon?"

"Tomoe-sama," Hatsune said, running her finger along his neck, "surely you don't need us to do anything else for you?"

He took her hand gently and placed his lips against it. "Not today, Hatsune-san," he murmured against her knuckles, and Hatsune smiled. So that's how it was.

:::

Hatsune did not have to wander the shrine for long to find the human god. She was resting on the porch with her books closed beside her.

"Hitogami-sama," Hatsune called, and Nanami straightened, shocked.

"Ah — huh — what?! Ah — oh, it's you…"

"Hatsune," the tanuki woman supplied, and stepped forward, so smoothly she appeared to be gliding. "Please call me Hatsune. It's seems I've been surprising you a lot today, Hitogami-sama!"

"Ah — yeah — you have!" Nanami patted at her cheeks, not quite meeting Hatsune's eye. "Um, please feel free to call me Nanami, Hatsune-san."

"As you wish," Hatsune said, "Nanami-sama," and approached, sitting in the space that Nanami made by pushing her books aside.

"So, Hatsune-san — is there something you need?"

Hatsune waved a graceful hand. "Oh, no, nothing in particular. I only wished to say farewell to you, on behalf of all of us. Thank you for tolerating our intrusion."

"Oh! It's nothing. I'm glad that you could help Tomoe out," Nanami said, and Hatsune smiled beauteously.

"Of course. We are all quite fond of Tomoe-sama," Hatsune said, "and are happy to see that he is doing well in your care."

"Oh — well — usually he's the one taking care of me, really," Nanami laughed, scratching her head. "When he's not being irritating, anyway."

"Irritating, Nanami-sama?"

"Ah…no, it's nothing, please forget I said anything." The human god began picking determinedly at a splinter on the porch.

"Irritating or not," Hatsune said, "you've certainly been making an impression on him. It's quite clear to me why he doesn't visit us as often as he used to," she continued, and Nanami's finger suddenly slipped and forced the splinter beneath her nail.

"Ow!"

"Oh, Nanami-sama! Are you alright?"

"Ah…yeah, I'm fine. Totally fine! Really, very fine!"

She was awfully red, for someone who was fine.

"Well," Hatsune continued, deciding to get to it, "I shouldn't trouble you any longer, Nanami-sama. All I wanted to do was give you our thanks. As well as a few small gifts," she said, and reached into her sleeve.

:::

Nanami kept the gifts in her pocket, partly out of disbelief, and partly because she couldn't bring herself to look at them. They slowly dampened with sweat in her fist as she turned them over and over. She studied aimlessly, fruitlessly re-reading her assignments and sticking her hand into her pocket. Tomoe had vanished as soon as the tanuki women left and she put off searching for him until Mizuki started fussing about dinner.

She wandered the shrine, finally getting to Tomoe's room. She hadn't seen him anywhere else, so he was probably here. She rapped the door.

"Tomoe? It's almost dinnertime." She considered. "Hey, should I get dinner today? Do you want anything?"

He replied in English, and Nanami laughed.

"Was that 'no'? You're getting good at this," she teased, and leaped back when the door suddenly opened, just enough to show one glaring yellow eye.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing — nothing!"

She fled. She prepared instant noodles for herself and Mizuki, managing to keep a semblance of normality despite the fact that her hand kept going into her pocket.

"Maybe you should call Tomoe to eat," Nanami said, still not quite up to fetching him herself, and Mizuki pouted but did as she said. When he returned, it was alone and with a shrug.

"He said he's busy. Honestly, I think that's just fine," Mizuki announced, "as I will have more of Nanami-chan's delicious instant noodles for myself," and indeed he ate most of it, except for a small bowl that Nanami saved for Tomoe.

Once Mizuki had his fill, and Nanami had cleaned up the dishes, the kitchen area, and even the kotatsu, there was nothing left she could use to procrastinate. She swallowed and stood, one hand on a bowl of warmed ramen and the other in her pocket.

"Tomoe?" she called at his door. Now that it was dark, she could tell that he was in there — there was light coming through the screen door — but when she knocked, there was no answer. Bewildered, she slid the door open.

His room was a mess. The floor was covered in papers and books and a bundle of fabric that Nanami realized was Tomoe himself, slumped on the table, dozing in the lamplight. His arms were crossed beneath his head, but his right hand held a pencil.

Nanami set the ramen down, walking slowly around the room to get a good view of the papers strewn around. They were, she realized, homework assignments — the very same English assignments that she had been studying earlier, in fact — with one difference.

Nanami yelled and Tomoe jerked awake, knocking over the lamp in shock.

"Wh — wha — what are you doing here?!" he shouted at her, instantly awake, "get out," but Nanami held the papers to his face.

"You're failing!" Nanami cried. "You're failing English!"

His ears flattened down against his skull. His tail lashed, scattering papers across the room.

"...yes," he admitted finally.

"What do you mean, 'yes'?! It wasn't a question!" She looked through the assignments. Each one had a low mark. She looked back at him incredulously. He was glancing off to the side, tail continuing to lash and make the papers flap and flutter.

"Don't worry about it," he told her, "I can handle it," but now Nanami saw the reasons for the strange things that had been happening. Tomoe's absence, his coldness, his asking the tanuki women to cut his hair — all to avoid her, to study on his own. Because, Nanami realized, the reason he was probably doing so poorly was — uh, their study sessions together.

"You should have just asked me to help," Nanami told him, and Tomoe frowned at her.

"Like all the times I asked you for help in the library?"

She pursed her lips. Well, when he put it that way…

"You should have asked me to really help," Nanami insisted. "I would have really helped if you asked. Don't," she warned, "say that it would hurt your familiar's pride or something," and Tomoe's mouth clipped shut.

Nanami sighed. The room was messier than she had ever seen Tomoe allow a room to be. Papers were scattered and marked up incomprehensibly. There were long lists of vocabulary for simple words that she had learned in grade school — which, she admitted to herself, Tomoe had probably never learned.

It was pretty cute, actually. She never guessed that he'd be the "cram student" type. Especially when — she double-checked the dates in her head — it was still a bit early to be cramming this much.

"Anyway...it looks like you've been studying for a long time. Why don't you take a break?"

"A break." He looked at her, unamused, and she pursed her lips.

"Not — not that kind of break," Nanami lied, pursing her lips in disappointment. "A normal break. Take it from someone who's been a high school student way longer than you." Nanami retrieved the bowl of ramen and put it on his desk, pushing it against an open book.

When he just scowled at it, Nanami sighed. "What are you so concerned about, anyway?"

She didn't expect that he would actually answer her. But then he muttered: "I don't want to be held back."

"You don't want... what?"

"Held back! You heard me! I heard some of those humans talking about it. When you don't do well in class you have to repeat a year." He swatted at the hair falling on his face, though it had already been trimmed back to an acceptable length. "I didn't even know of such a thing. As if I would spend any more time in that school than necessary!"

"I…I'm pretty sure you'll be fine, Tomoe," Nanami sputtered, resisting the urge to laugh. "You still have a lot of time. And anyway, no one gets held back because of one class. I think," she added, but Tomoe was already gathering his lists again.

"You don't really even need to be in school anyway if it stresses you out this much," Nanami told him, "after all, what does a fox demon need a high school certificate for?"

"A fox demon doesn't need it for anything," Tomoe said, tapping the papers on his desk to straighten them out, "but the husband of a human woman might."

"The…husband of…" Her face was warming uncomfortably.

"Of course. There are many things possible in our future. It's best to be prepared." For the first time, Nanami realized that there was a crumpled pamphlet on Tomoe's desk — the very same pamphlet that she had received, from her meeting at the career center.

"It's a given that this shrine will be your home — but as this pamphlet says, it's best to be ready for whatever may happen. I don't think humans are any less fickle than gods. I'm sure there will come times where you may want to try doing other things. Where you might want to leave the shrine…"

His voice quieted. After a moment he realized Nanami was staring at him, and cleared his throat. "At those times," he continued finally, with a forced smile, "a certain snake will be the one left watching the shrine, not me."

Nanami swallowed. She found her whole body was turning very warm, and filled with tingling.

Tomoe was thinking about the future — was working hard for it. A future mingling in with the human world, with her. Her eyes prickled — the bottom of her belly grew warm. She was touched. She approached him, feeling the warmth of him beside her, solid and there. Suddenly, more than anything, she really wanted to —

"Tomoe…" she started, fumbling for the right words, "that's so…I —"

"That's why I've decided not to take any more breaks until after exams."

"— that is, I don't know what to — wait, what?"

"No breaks," he repeated.

Something in her shuddered. "You mean…you seriously don't want to…?"

He turned sharply. "Of course I want to," he told her matter-of-factly. For a moment his eyes softened. He looked over her, and her skin tingled beneath his gaze. That was how strong he was — a single look could totally disarm her. And then he turned back to his desk. "But I don't want to be held back."

Her heart was racing. Nanami swallowed. In her pocket, her fingers trembled; and her voice trembled too, as she found the words she'd been searching for all day, and shoved them past her lips. "T-Tomoe…why don't I help you study? We can…we can play a game."

She took a deep breath. Steady, steady.

He glanced at her suspiciously.

"What kind of game?"

"A study game! I'm serious," she assured him, and reached for one of his vocabulary lists. "You're trying to memorize all these words, right? I can help you. Close your eyes," she instructed.

"Why?"

"Come on, just trust me. Haven't I been a student much longer than you?" She must have sounded plausible enough because he shut his eyes obediently, and Nanami breathed slowly as she finally pulled one of Hatsune's gifts out of her pocket. Steady, steady.

"Okay," she said, "hold still," and though he winced a bit when her hands touched his head, his eyes remained closed.

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm blindfolding you."

"W-why?"

"Because it's part of the study game."

"What kind of study game is this? Where did you even get this?" he asked, and as he raised his hands to the blindfold Nanami said, "Don't touch it!"

The air around his wrists flashed green; his hands halted in mid-air. Tomoe's throat was dry; he swallowed. "Where did you get this?"

"I — I've always had it. It's just part of normal study materials," Nanami told him. "You don't have one? Maybe that's why you haven't been doing so well. Anyway, let's continue. What's the word for…" She glanced at his list. "'Burst'?"

He licked his lips. "Um…"

"You don't know that one? Okay, how about 'boil'?"

"I don't…"

"'Drill'?"

"I…I haven't gotten to that list yet…"

"Oh, you haven't? Okay, let's use an easier one." She rifled through the sheets until she found an appropriate one. "Alright! This one looks good. Are you ready?"

"I don't understand why this requires a blindfold," Tomoe muttered.

"I told you, it's fine, don't worry about it. Now," she said, "do you know the word for 'hair'?"

"Yes!" he said, perking up. "It's —"

"Good," Nanami said. "Why don't you — show me?"

Realization fell on him. He smiled, so broadly her belly trembled. "You want me to show you what 'hair' is, Nanami-sama?"

He reached toward her, and with somewhat disappointing accuracy twirled a brown tress around his finger and pressed it to his mouth. She watched him, reddening, until he said, "Well, am I correct?"

"Uh, yes! Yes. You're correct. Next," she coughed, "how about 'forehead'?"

"Sure. Of course." He continued spinning her hair around his finger until his palm rested against her cheek. He raised his other hand to her cheek, and cupped her face. He leaned toward her, and she caught her breath; but he only blew against her forehead, teasing.

"Here, right?" He poked her forehead with a long nail and she winced.

"Yeah. Good job." This was not as fun as she had thought. "You know, I think this is a little too easy for you."

"Really? I think it's an appropriate level of difficulty."

"Well, I don't, and I'm the one leading our study group. Sit back," Nanami ordered, a little too strongly; the air crackled and he fell back abruptly, knees bent and sitting on his ankles in a formal position.

"Give me your hands," she ordered next, and Tomoe held them out, the green rings shining on his wrists. Now she could tell that he was turning somewhat red beneath his blindfold.

"N-Nanami, what are you doing?"

This time she didn't bother answering. She took out the second part of what Hatsune had given her, and took both of his wrists in her hand. Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around him; from this position, though it was somewhat awkward, it was possible for her to hold his wrists behind his back, and tie the length of silk around them. Her ear was to Tomoe's chest. Was his heart beating faster?

When she withdrew Tomoe tested the ties and she was relieved to see him struggling against them. He was definitely red-faced now. His ears were flat, but not — she watched carefully — in fear, or disgust, or anger. Mostly, he seemed shocked.

"Nanami, how did you —"

"Next!" Nanami announced. She reached for the paper again, went down the list until she found a word she liked. "Eyebrows."

"How am I supposed to..." Tomoe asked, and Nanami put her finger to his lips.

"Think about it," she told him, tracing his mouth, and he swallowed. Carefully, he straightened his legs, kneeling, pressing his body against hers for balance and to make sure of her position. His ears flicked up and down. Finally, he rested his nose against her hair, tracing down, down, until he finally found her brow; and then he laid a light kiss on it. He waited; and when she said nothing, he made his way to her other brow, laying small kisses from end to end. Goosebumps rose on the back of her neck.

"Good," she whispered. "Now. Eyes."

She closed her eyes and waited. He traced again, cautiously, and laid kisses on her left and right eyes, the left kiss not as gentle as the right. He had lost his balance slightly; it was straining him to lean toward her and keep upright.

It was straining him in other ways too. Now that he'd tasted her skin and its softness, the weight of the days he'd been forcing himself to spend away from her felt heavy in his stomach. He felt Nanami shift and thought maybe that she might help support him, but rather than straightening him she felt her hands press lightly between his legs. Any thoughts he had had of actually studying vanished. He shuddered visibly and gave a loud exhale, making fists and straining against the silk. To hell already with these stupid words — he wanted — to grab her, and press her back down against the desk, and —

"Throat," she whispered in his ear. The word reverberated in his spine. He leaned forward, rough, and pressed his mouth hungrily against the smoothness of her neck, running his tongue from the hollow at its base and up, to the tip of her chin. He was rewarded with her sigh of pleasure as her body tingled down to her fingertips, to her marrow.

"G-good," she murmured. She saw him pull at the silk again, and still it held. She put her hands on his shoulders and guided his back against the desk. He sat back with a sigh of relief, and as he gingerly stretched his legs she kneeled over him, pressing her hips against his belly.

She pulled off her shirt, tossing it, and her bra, onto the ground. Tomoe's ears flicked as the papers rustled out of the way. His head turned up eagerly.

She murmured something, and he smiled.

"I didn't think I had that on my list."

"Really? It's a pretty important one to know."

He lunged up eagerly but she stopped him, setting her hands on his shoulders.

"Gently."

She was nervous of his vigor — it was as if tying him up had made him even more fervent — she could practically see him trembling with effort. Given the vehemence with which he usually ravished her, it was nice to be gentle and slow for once, though a laugh escaped her at the absurdity of it: all-power Tomoe reduced to this, when she knew he could probably break out if he really tried.

But it wasn't the silk fetters that moved him. It was her voice, encompassing him in the dark — holding him more tightly than it ever had, deity magic or no, wrapping him firmly around the fingers she traced over his collarbone. He felt himself turning redder, harder. Nanami had never spoken like this before — she had always asked of him, but never demanded. He had pressed and rubbed and drawn moans and pleas from her but never any words that held him as fiercely as he wanted to hold her, in a voice whose tone was, "I need you. I want you."

A voice that said she desired him in her life.

"Gently," she repeated when he leaned up again, and he obeyed as best he could. He kissed up her delicious bare skin, his breath hot and staggered on the thin skin over her rib cage. Her flesh gave to his slightest touch — so soft, so soft. He kissed his way up, goosebumps beneath his tongue, until she gasped and her grip on him tightened. She leaned toward him ever so slightly and he felt her long hair fall across his forehead.

She leaned against him, arms around his neck and guiding him to her, glad that he couldn't see how red her face was, how embarrassed she felt, and yet how pleased as he took her in his mouth again. His lips formed perfectly around her skin and gave it the lightest tug before releasing with a wet sound. He kissed again, sucking — releasing — tugged — released…

She felt weak; every little suckling noise made more of her into wet paper. She sighed in pleasure and hugged him closer to her and he liked it, the feeling of being enveloped by her, the lusciousness of her skin in his mouth, the grip of her muscles holding him. He wanted more, more. He wanted to wrap her all around in him — he wanted —

"Nanami," he gasped, "let me — please let me —"

She didn't answer — she couldn't — her head felt dizzy, heavy, insistent — something in the center of her yawned awake and shook her veins like reins and took charge of her. Her heart raced and she couldn't get to the desk fast enough, she didn't even push the papers aside before she sat on them, legs dangling over the edge. She tugged Tomoe's clothing to turn him so he knelt facing the desk. She set her thighs on his shoulders and her hands on the back of his hand, pulling him toward her.

:::

For a while afterward they sat against each other, panting, utterly spent, chests moving against each other as they fought to capture their breath. Tomoe's forehead rested on her shoulder, and she tilted her own head to rest on him. His blindfold had fallen down and was around his neck like a collar, and finally Nanami freed her hand from it. She also reached behind him and tugged at the silk on his wrists. Instantly Tomoe's hands were free, and he wrapped his arms around her loosely, tiredly.

"How did you learn how to tie it that strongly?" he mumbled.

"I didn't," Nanami mumbled back after a moment. He straightened to give her a bewildered look and she showed him what she had pulled off the silk. It was a charm paper, on which was written, _A KNOT_.

"As expected of my clever god," he laughed, and his rare genuine amusement made Nanami laugh too.

"So — so you liked my study game, Tomoe?"

"Of course I did." He kissed her brow and then touched his forehead to hers. "Though I wonder at the accuracy of the 'study' aspect. And I'd appreciate you allowing me time to actually work."

"Well," Nanami said, glancing down, "don't work just because you're afraid that I'm going to leave the shrine, okay?" And when he withdrew, blinking in surprise, she continued: "That's what you're actually afraid of, right? That I'll go to university or something and leave you here?"

"No," he lied stubbornly, ears flat.

"Well," she laughed, "whether you are or aren't, don't worry about it." She hugged him, setting her cheek to his chest.

"I-I'm telling you, the only thing I'm worried about is getting enough marks on that stupid human paper."

"It's okay, Tomoe. We'll be together no matter what!"

"Aren't you listening to me? Of course I know that! But the exams —"

"Ah, right, the exams," Nanami said thoughtfully. "You know, even if you get full marks on those, I wonder if you'll have enough to pass the entire course."

"What do you — what are you talking about?!"

"I mean, grades add up, you know? It isn't just about tests. It's about how you do overall." Nanami tugged a couple assignments out from beneath them, one of which had been torn in half. "Yeah, these are pretty awful. Maybe," she said, glancing up at him with a grin, "you should play my extra credit game," and when he blushed and opened his mouth to protest, she stuck the charm paper on his tongue.

:::

In the end, despite everything, both Nanami and Tomoe passed all their exams with flying colors, and promptly went home to start celebrating.

"No mushrooms, right?" Nanami asked. "Right?" she demanded after Tomoe didn't answer, and he sighed and began plucking things out of the half-prepared dishes.

"Onikiri, Kotetsu!" he called as Nanami watched him suspiciously. "Bring that plate to the tanuki women."

"Which plate, Tomoe-dono?"

"Tomoe-dono, do you mean Mizuki's plate?"

"What do you mean, Mizuki's — get away from that!" Tomoe hissed, and slammed a cover on the plate of crepes that caught Mizuki's finger and made him cry out in pain. Mizuki withdrew, but not without a parting pout and a smear of strawberry sauce on his cheek.

"But there's so much of it!" he protested. "Why do they get all of that?"

"It's thanks to them that Nanami and I passed, after all," Tomoe explained coolly, and Nanami flushed.

"What do you mean, 'thanks to them'? Hasn't it been me here this whole time, cheering both of you on? I practically gave you your good marks myself! Didn't I, Nanami-chan?"

"Tomoe, can't we leave just a couple for Mizuki?" Nanami asked, and Tomoe wrinkled his nose and pulled two crepes from the pile and onto a napkin.

"There. Have that. Hurry," Tomoe told the shrine spirits, "before he whines for more," and Onikiri and Kotetsu raced off obediently.

"Honestly, Tomoe, you're no fun," Mizuki sighed, speaking through a syrupy, crepe-filled mouthful. "It's all work and no play with you recently."

"You don't know the half of it," Tomoe murmured, glancing at Nanami, "right? Nanami-sama?"

"W-what? What are you talking about? I don't know!" Nanami shouted, a little too loudly.

"There's something going on with the two of you," Mizuki grumbled. "You're definitely leaving me out of something."

"W-what? N-no way! Definitely not! Welcome back!" Nanami yelled at Onikiri and Kotetsu, who jumped at being acknowledged so abruptly. "That was fast! How was it! Did they like it?!"

"Very much, Nanami-sama!"

"They wanted us to relay their thanks!"

"As well as this gift," Kotetsu said, holding up a neatly wrapped package, and Nanami took it.

"How kind of them!" Nanami said gratefully, glad for the change of subject, and she began to tug at the paper curiously.

"W-wait," Tomoe said, "maybe you shouldn't open it right now —"

"Why not?"

"Yeah," Mizuki said, "why? Come on, let's see what it is."

"Hatsune-san said it was a game of some kind," Onikiri said thoughtfully.

"Oh, that sounds fun, a ga —"

A — game! Nanami's grip tightened and she put the package behind her back as if that would stop anyone from remembering that she had it.

"O-on second thought, I'll open it later after all!"

"Oh, come on, open it!" Mizuki whined. "Maybe we can all play together!"

"Yes, Nanami-sama," Tomoe agreed, smirking, "wouldn't that be fun? To play all together?"

"N-n-n-no!"

"Nanami-chan! Please!"

"Come on, Nanami-sama-"

"We want to play too, Nanami-sama!" Kotetsu and Onikiri cried, and they hounded her until Nanami screamed, and then began to laugh.

"Fine! You want to play? _Let's play!_"


End file.
